Electrical display device



March 15, 1960 J. A. RAJCHMAN 2,928,894

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.JJM/Z Fame/MAN ELECTRICAL DISPLAY DEVICE Jan Aleksander Raichmam Princeton, NJ., assignor to Radio Corporation of America, a corporation of Delaware Application May 31, 1955, Serial No. 511,848 19 claims.V (ci. 17a-5.4)

The present invention relates to electrical display devices for displaying luminous or visible patterns in accordance with modulated electrical signals. n

The electrical display device, according to the present invention, employs a novel arrangement including a matrix or array of elemental light emitting areas; such an electrical display device will be variously referred to hereinafter as a mural image reproducer.

Mural image reproducers are useful in many systems in the communications art. One important use of the mural image reproducer is for television signal reproduction; a mural image reproducer performs all the functions presently performed by the cathode ray kinescope and will perform many of these functions in a far more eliicient fashion particularly with respect to faithful geometric reproduction without distortion due to nonlinear scanning. In addition, a mural image reproducer using structure to store the last electrical signals may be caused to display indefinitely the last applied picture. The actual storage requires no holding power, and a latent picture can be stored in dead storage for any length of time. Subsequently it can be viewed indefinitely by providing the light producing power. For example, a television scene can be arrested at any time and a still picture produced at will. Also, various proposed television systems employing narrow bandwidths, lower frame rate, multiplexing, coded transmission, or with noise reductiouall depending on storage-are made practical.

The electrical display device, according to the present invention, is applicable for use in many applications outside of the television field. Among these applications are the display and storage of radar information, computer display application, for example, the displaying of coded information in terms of trains of pulses as typically encountered in digital computers. The present invention may also be utilized for displaying visual representation of characters, letters, and numerals expressing, for

example, the output of a business type electric digital computer.

The electrical display device according to the present invention utilizes devices which combine the functions of switching, storage and luminosity control which (A) store the signal indicative of the light to be reproduced at each elemental area, (B) are responsive to signals indicative of the location of the elemental area, and (C) which control energy in accordance with the stored signal to'control the light output of light emitting means corre sponding to that elemental area.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved type of electrical display devices.

It is another object of this invention to provide an image reproducer which is suitable for displaying images of large size with improved scanning linearity.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improved electrical display device which may be utilized for the storage of images for eflicient utilization of the image reproducing media.

ats Patent 2,928,894 vPatented Mar. 15, 1960 responding to an elemental area is responsiveto a particular sequence of signals relating to the location `of the elemental area and to the image or pattern information to be accordedthat elemental area so that the overall image display device will store and reproduce a visible pattern or image in .accordance with an applied pattern or image intelligence signal.

In one form of the invention, the control devices may be caused to store information corresponding to image or pattern information corresponding to each elemental `area for prescribed intervals of time.

In an electrical displayY system of the invention, for reproducing television images from a television signal, electroluminescent .elemental areas are controlled by translluxors to. provide reconstruction of the televised image. Moreover, a color image may be reproduced by a mural image reproducer by subdividing each elemental luminiferous area into groups of sub-elemental luminiferous areas, each sub-elemental area corresponding toa suitable primary color and energized according to the` signal level relating to that primary color at that elemental area.

Other objects of this invention will be explained in detail in the following specification and in the accompanying drawings in which.:

Figure 1` is a diagram of a mural image reproducer television receiver circuit.

Figure 2A shows a two-hole transfluxor including actuating windings and load.

Figure 2B shows a hysteresis curve associated with the translluxor shown in Figure 2A.

Figures 2C and 2D show flux states of the transfluxor of Figure 2A.

Figure 3A shows a two-transfluxor switching and' control circuit.

Figure 3B shows flux diagrams associated with thetwof. shown `in Figl transliuxor switching and control circuit ure 5A.

Figure 4 shows a mural image reproducer and assoi ciated switching circuits wherein a two-transuxor switching and control circuit is utilized at each picture element.

Figure 5 shows a circuit of a magnetic shift register controlling a portion of one line of a mural image reproducerY screen.

Figure 6 shows a transiluxor control characteristic curve,

Figure 7 shows the switching and energizing pulse sequence utilized with the magnetic shift register, of Figure V5.

Figure 8 shows the block diagram of the control circuits which supply control pulses to the circuit shown in Figure 5.

Figure.9 shows the circuit details of a mural image reproducer with its associated switching and control circuits.

Figure 10 shows a sequence of pulses bearing switching, priming and -video information which are applied to the vertical magnetic shift register of Figure 9.

Figure 11A shows a three-hole transfluxor.

asasgsa 3 Y Figure 11B shows a linx diagram associated with the transuxor of Figure 3A. p

Figure 11C shows a sequenceof energizing, blocking and video information bearing 'pulses suitablefor driving the transfluxor of Figure 13A.

Figure l2 shows a mural image reproducer system which utilizes a three-hole transfiuxor at each elemental V area.

Figures 13, 14 and 15 show various circuit means for matching the output winding of a transiluxor to an electrolumincscent cell. t Figure 16A shows a three-hole transuxor coupled to an 'electroluminescent cell vwhich is placedin series with the output transfluxor winding.

Figure 16B showsthe light output characteristic curve image reproducer. y Y

Figure 2O shows an illustration of how a mural image reproducer may be utilized in the living room of a modern home.

A mural' image reproducer using Iumniferous cellsV In one form of the present invention, luminiferous cells are arranged in rows and columns. It is'to be understood that luminiferous cells are cells which` are either actively Y transmitting, producing, or yielding light or are capable of transmitting, producing, or yielding light, and are cellsV whose light output is controllable. Various types of luminiferou's cells, such as light cells, electroluminescent cells, light valves, or devices of controllable optical transmission, will be discussed in the specification to follow. Switching, storage and control devices are provided, each responsive to information relating to row and column information and to image or pattern information, for controlling the light output of each of the luminiferous cells to cause the aggregate of luminiferous' cells to reproduce the image or pattern corresponding to that information.

Figure 1 shows a diagram of a mural image reproducer 2 as a component of a television receiver. The mural image reproducer 2 includes the rows and columns conductors each illustrated by a single line emanating from the row selector circuit 6 and the column selector circuit 7 respectively; at the contiguous intersection of each row and column conductor, a light cell 9 is installed. Other conductors for supplying, for' example, power, may alsobe included in the image reproducer 2.

The incoming television signal arrives at the antenna 3 and is applied to the television signal receiver 4. In the television signal receiver 4, the television signal information received, 1s demodulated to provide a video signal and synchromzmg signals; The synchronizing signals are Vthen applied to a shift signal generator 5 which actuates the column selector circuit 7 and the row selector circuit 6 to control the shifting of video and control signals from one column conductor to another and from one row conductorto another. in the form of the invention illustrated in Figure 1, the video information is passed to the row selector circuit 6. The row selector circuit 6 and the column selector circuit 7 energize the respective conductors of the mural image reproducer 2 in a sequence and a rate characteristic of the television signal being received. For` example, utilizing a television signal conforming to U.S. standards, the row and column selector circuits 6 and 7 may select typically in the neighborhood of 500 lines and '700 rows.

At the intersection of, for example, the row conductor k and the column conductor i, a switching and luminosity control device 8 of the present invention such as a trans- Lll) ` is required for television application since 25v foot lam-Y tiuxor, to be described, is installed. This switching and" luminosity control device 8 is responsive to the coincidence of information supplied to both row conductor k and column conductor j and to the video information corresponding to the video intelligence to be reproduced at the light cell 9 corresponding to the intersection of these conductors.` Y

In television applications, each switching and control device 8 may be caused to function as a storage device so that the light cell will maintain the light output, for example, from one frame to the next when the switching and control device 8 will again belenergized according to the video information corresponding toV this interse tion. The switching and control device 8 then controls the light output from the light cell 9 in accordance with this video information.

In mural image reproducers of the present invention which empioyvthe aforementioned 4function of. storage, flicker is greatly reduced., In addition, thel image o1' pattern is reproduced in a far more eicient fashion 'since a scanning system which does not kutilize storage of information betweensuccessive excitation of'each elemental area requires very large instantaneous light output to produce a picture of usable brightness to a human observer.

The video information is supplied to the row selector circuit 6 which not only controls the row selection but also supplies the video information to the column selected.

As the alternative to the above, the video intelligence 1s supplied to the column selector circuit 7 with the video intelligence thereupon successively transmitted to each intersection along a row as the columns are sequentially selected by the column selector circuit 7. Y

In a mural image reproducer of the present invention, power is provided from an active source and is available at every point in amounts controlled by the signal information; if the function of storage is provided Aby the switching and control device and the power is available continuously, the storage is of information and not of energy. This allows the use of such a relatively ineflicient light source as electroluminescent material which would be very dim if excited only at the instants of scanning as would be the case without the benefit of storage.

Electr-@luminescent cells The direct conversion of electrical energy into luminance within a solid provides'a fundamentally attractive method for producing light over large areas. The providiug of luminance by the application of electric potential to certain crystalline phosphors is called electroluminescence. With proper materials, electroluminescence provides a means of producing light in a very eicient manner. Typical electroluminescent cells utilizing present day techniques employ powdered phosphors of zinc sulphide and zinc sulfoselinide to mention only two of the materials possible. The microcrystalline grains of the phosphor are mixed with a plastic liquid material. The mixture is then sprayed on a piece of plate glass that has a transparent conducting surface on the side in contact with the plastic toform a layer of the order of lOOOth of an inch thick. This plastic layer is backed by a layer of aluminum or silver or any other suitable metal after it has become set. The metal layer is made in the form of an array of separate electrodes, one for each element. These techniques make feasible large-area-electroluminescent panels. Mural image reproducers functioning according to the present invention and utilizing elemental electroluminescent cells may be constructed to be unlimited in size and total area.

A typical zinc sulphide electrolumnescent cell has a surface brightness of about one foot lambert when cx-p cited by 1 10 v. and 60 cycles.Y At a higher voltage and 5 kcs. a similar cell will provide a brightness of over 50 foot lamberts. This isI more than thev brightness which berts of brightness is usually seen in a Well lighted room.

.hysteresis phenomena. j polarization P as a function of the electric field E. On a Transhysterc devices v terials involved and associated driving forces. An un?v derstanding of the concepts associated with transhysteretic action and hysteretic relationships is provided by the following:

There is a hysteretic relationship between a dek pendent variable y and an independent variable x (or force) characterizing a material when the value of the dependent variable y depends not only on the existing value of the independent variable x but also on the previous history of the variations of the independent variable. In general, the dependent variable y can have many different values for any one value of the independent variable.

When the independent variable x oscillates back and forth (without reversing its rate change within one oscillation) between two extreme values, the variation of the dependent variable y, can be represented by a closed loop on the .x-y plane. This loop is called a hysteresis loop, In general, when the independent variable x becomes zero, the dependent variable y has a non-zero value, a remanent value. Symmetrical loops possess two equal and opposite remanent values. The value of the independent variable x for which the dependent variable is zero is called coercive force.

If y reaches a stationary value for indefinitely large values of x, there is saturation. Of particular importance kin the present invention are materials wherein the hysteresis loops have remanent values substantially equal to the saturated values. These loops are very often (though not necessarily) rectangular.

For increasing amplitude of oscillation of the dependent variable, increasingly large symmetrical hysteretic lops are obtained.

The best known hysteretic relationship is that for ferromagnetic materials where x is either the magnetic induction B or the magnetic flux through a certain area such as that of the cross section of a core, rather than the magnetic induction and y is the magnetizing force H.

There are some dielectric materials which also exhibit In this case it is the electric cell made of such material, it is convenientv to consider k,the charge Q which has flown through the cell as a function of the voltage V that has been applied to it over a `time interval. The dielectrics with hysteresis are called ferroelectrics In a transhysteretic device there are distinct circuits for the ow of the physical quantity which has hysteretic properties, e.g., such circuits may be `found in magnetic lcores with multiple apertures or circuits with many ferro- -electric cells. Let there be at least three distinct branches in the circuit, e.g., legs of the magnetic core or ferroielectric cells. Transhysteretic action is obtained when :the amount of the hysteretic quantity, magnetic ux or electrical charge, is transferred back-and-forth in a steady state between two branches of the circuit as a result of a sustained alternating driving force on one or both of vthem according to a controllable value which is determined by a single pulse of driving force applied to a third branch. In the case of a magnetic core, the driving force is the magnetomotive force; in the case of a ferroelectric cell, the driving force is the voltage.

A transhysteretic device is comprised of passive solid state elements which can be defined operationally as follows. The device transmits electric energy from a source of A.C. power to a load so that the degree of transmission is determined by a setting, establishedby asingle pulse, which remains stored within the device. This setting remains unchanged until changed by another -setting pulse. The setting remains stored whether the A.C. power is present or not.

The transfiuxor- A transhysteretic device utilizing the aforementioned magnetic materials is'referred to as a transfluxor. Y

Briefly, a transuxor, referred to above, is'a device of magnetic material saturated at remanence;.this material having two or more apertures defining closed flux paths which may be taken around one or more of these apertures. A pulsed magnetizing force around one of the apertures, which is determined by a current through `that aperture will produce a remanent condition. The remanent` condition will determine the amount of ux interchangeable along another flux path. If an energy source and a load are inductively coupled by way of the latter mentioned ux path, the amount of interchange of ux will determine the control of coupling between the energy' .source and the load. This type of control is utilized in the present invention to provide continuous or half tone, control of the output power over a wide range.

Another type of transhysteretic device which may be used in accordance with the present invention isv the transcharger-a ferroelectric device wherein the remanent charge and the coercive voltage form the parameter characteristic of the material and the driving force respectively.

In the detailed embodiment of lthe present invention transuxors are employed, and their operation will be briefly stated hereinafter to aid in understanding of the present invention.

lConsider one of the simplest types of transiiuxors shown in Figure 2A which -is formed of a magnetic material such as a molded ceramic ferro-spinel or ferrite which has a rectangular hysteresis loop and consequently a remanent induction Br substantially equal to the saturated induction Bs as illustrated in Fig. 2B. The transtluxor shown in Figure 2A has two holes 11 and 13 which are preferably of unequal diameter. The cross-sectional areas of the legs II and HI (taken along an axis through the centers of holes 11 and 13) which ank the smaller hole 13 are substantiallyequal and their sum is smaller than the area of leg I. Windings 21 and 3i) each pass through hole 11; winding 29 passes Ithrough both holes 11 and 13; winding 23 supplies alternating current through hole 13 and winding 25 couples hole 13 to the load 27. The use of the windings 21, 29 and 30 will be described in detail in the following text. One method of voperation of the transliuxor is described as follows. As- Y sume that an intense current pulse is `sent through the winding Z1 in a direction to produce clockwise flux iiow and of an amplitude sutiicient to saturate legs II and III. These legs will remain saturated after the termination of the pulse since remanent and saturated inductions are almost equal. Consider now the eliect of an alternating current liowing through the winding Z3 and tending to cause flux to flow around the small hole 13 through legs II and III. `Current of a phase or direction to produce clockwise flux ow will produce no iiux change in either is saturated and no adjacent to hole 13 because leg IIII further flux can flow through it. Similarly, current in the direction tending to produce counter-clockwise ux will produce no iiux change since leg II is already saturated in that direction. It follows, therefore, that there will be no output signal induced into the winding 25 by the alternating current flowing through winding 23 and no energy will ow to the output load 27; the transuxor is blocked-a condition represented by the flux states in the shaded region around hole 13 of the transuxor in Figure 2C.

Assume that a pulse of current is sent through the winding 29 of a polarity tending to produce a counterclockwise tiow of flux through leg II. Flux can not ow 7 through les VIll which saturated but .can `.flow through leg I. The .necessary continuity of ux dow will be satised by an interchange of ilux betwen legs I and Htl which will leave leg I with zero ux and leg lI with upward saturation. In this condition, the alternating current through winding 23 .tending to produce flux flow around the vsmall hole 13 will, in fact, produce such l ow. The rst counter-'clockwise phase of the alternating current through winding 23 will reverse the llux. The next clockwise phase will reverse it again and soon indefinitely. An .alternating current wilt be vinduced in the winding 25 and current will ilow yin the output load 27. This corresponds to an unblock d condition of the translluxor; the lunblocked condition is illustrated.

by the shaded region'around hole v13 ,in Figur? '2D Whe'f it is geen that Athe 'flux 1:' es `t0 d '3l respectively new in a .Clockwis'e'direction round hole .1.3.

The transusnr `can also he operated iin a half-tone mode; that is, it 'can 'be set fo .any 'condition between blocked and unblocked ijn 1a 'continuous range m response to the amplitude 'of a single setting pulse Once set, it will produce indelinitely an output proportional to the setting. The half-tone operation of the transiluxor may be described as follows: Consider 'first the "transiluxor shown in Figure 2A in its blocked condition. Let a setting pulse be provided through the winding 3i) so that the current due to the setting pulse passes through the large hole 11; the setting pulse should be of such direction that it produces aux opposing thatvproduced by the blocking pulse which is sent through winding 2d. A magnetizing force proportional to the setting pulse current is produced around the large hole il. This force, or eld H, is greatest at the periphery ofthe large hole l1 and diminishes with distance. `With a circular aperture, this force is inversely proportional'to the radius, therefore, for a given selected amplitude o r the's'etting -pulse current there will be a critical circle separating an inner zone where the magnetizingforce is larger than vthe threshold magnetic force 'I-Ic which is required to overcome or `reverse `the existing sense of magnetization, and an outer zone where this torce is smaller -than the threshold magnetizing force. A priming pulse applied to leg l1 can change only that part of the ux which is directly upward, namely that part whichhas been set or trappedinto legll by the setting'pulse. This flux ilows through leg III which 'is rcloser to leg llthan leg j l, and where an equal amount off linx change is produced. A driving pulse producing a downwardmagnetization of leg III will Ysatt'lrate that leg and retransfer the trapped amount ofllux back to legll. A succession off alternate priming and 'drivingpulses will cause interchange 'oetween legs ll and lll toan amount of flux just equal to that initially set into le'gll.

The use of cell techniques and hysteretic switching and storage techniques in discrete picture elements -1n a mural image reproducer according to the present 1nvention provides a purely solid state" television image reproducer requiring no .cumbersome large Vacuum envelope. This kmakes feasible an image reproducer v1n theiform of apic ture frame hich is hung Yonthe wall and `which-is energized by la relatively small image signal receiver and driving system. Also, there is no distortion due to nonlinear scanning; the picture is always as sharp Aas there is Yno focussing, -and is geometrically perfectly reproduced.

The mode of operation described in connection with the transuxor shown inFigureZA has illustrated how a two-apertured transuxor can be used for switching, storage" and control. It is possibile to use va single transuxor of this type `for .eachelemental .light Producing area of a mural image reproducer of thepresent invention. The precise method of `switchingandfccn'ltrol using a single.-transtluxor.willbedescribed in detail with respect '.to the l:muralimage loproducer which ris shown in Figure 9.

A twg-transyqicgr control unit An alternative means o f providing the control functions which are so uniquely applicable for use in the present invention is thetwo-trans-uxor device unit shown in Figure 3A. It iollovvs from the discussion in connection with the mural image `reproducer 2 shown in Figure 1 that at any one instant, one row or one column of the array being scanned, carries the switching and image or pattern information signals to the exclusion of all other rows and columns. The coincidence of these signals and the magnitude of the information relating to image or pattern characteristics of an intersecting cell of the array may `be recognized by the two-transiluxor control -unit of the .type shown in Figure 3A.

The transuxorx' has :two apertures 1R land W and three legs bearing the designators :1, II, and IIL .A row scan control winding 65 links the window R of vthe transuxor 51. A coupling V.winding 55 links -the aperture R ofthe v.translluxor 51-.With `the aperture `W of the transfluxor 57, utilizing -a series resistor .56. This resistance insures that the current through aperture W of translluxor 57 will Vbe proportional to the voltage, developed .at apertureR of `transuxor 51, rather than its integral. Coupled to ythe aperture R of transuxor 57 are the alternating current source winding 59 and .the coupling loop 61 to an output load such as alight emitting cell 63.

The translluxor =51 also yhas `the vcolumn vscan .control Winding 52 passing through the aperture W. The .signal 68 consisting of a positive pulse 67 followed by -a negative pulse 69 is passed through the lcolumn scan control winding 52. An asymetric pulse 53 consisting of a large positive lpulse 71 followed -by a small negative pulse 73 is applied to scan-control winding 65.

Initially, transuxor 51 `is `set `to a blocked state illustrated -by the points a on the-diagram :of Figure 3B which constitutes -a diagram of the remanent -flux states of the three legs I, II, and lll in the -transuxon Points SI, Sb SH, Sm Sm, Sm indicate saturation limits for the respective legs. In this state described by points a, legs Il and III of the transuxor 51 arefin opposite senses as viewed V.from window R. Consequently the transuxor is blocked and insensitive to pulses supplied by the row scan control winding 65. .When a positive pulse 67 is supplied to the scan control Winding 52, transuxorSLis set to the state described `by the points "b shown in kFigure 3B; in this state leg Il changed its direction of remanence and leg I hasilo'st a corresponding amount of ilux. This row scan Vcontrol winding 6.5 is energized now by a selected pair of pulses constituting the 'asymmetric pulse 53. The pulse 71 vis positive and of xed amplitude lwhile theother pulse 73 is 'negative and of amplitude proportional to the video signal or dependent on the video signal at that instant. AThe positive pulse through Window vR 'establishes the state described 'by points c yfor transuxor 51 which are illustrated in Figure 3B. This state causes a current-to be induced inthe coupling Winding 5 5 linking the aperture R of the transuxor with the aperture "W of the' transfluxor 57 of a magnitude controlled by resistorSG. This current sets aperture W of transuxor 57 to the state 'described by points a svh ow n in vFig. 3B. This isthe reset .state or blocked state. The negative pulse 7 3 as supplied through the aperture'R of the transfluxor 51 by the row scan control winding 65is assumed to have .a 4minimum amplitude suiicient to reset transuxor 51` to the state which is the same as the state described by points"cii" shown in 'Figure 3B. This negative pulse 7 3 is designed to have the same area asthe positive `pulse 171 `by an appropriate control ,of lits width; therefore, the n smaller the amplitude of the-pulse 73, the'longenmustbe its duration. The tluxthrough legs ILand ,Ladjoining the aperture Woftransuxor 57 will be set to some Astate such as that described by points b in Figure 3B de- U pending upon the value or the current through the aperture R of transfluxor l. It, therefore, follows that the amount of iiux excursion around the aperture R of transuxor 57 is precisely set by the ux state of the aperture W which is controlled by the video signal. The A.C. drive through the aperture R of the transiluxor 57 will now produce continuous light output from the light emitting cell 63 according to the amount of flux set between points b and Sm shown in the flux diagram of transuxor 57 for leg ill in Figure 3B. This amount of iux is proportional to the instantaneous value of the video at the instant of scanning.

The use, per picture element, of two transiiuxors as a single control unit instead of the use of one transuxor control unit to be described in the system of Figure 5 has some advantages. Two windings are required in the apertures R and only one in the apertures W. The smaller number of windings per aperture is simpler to fabricate.

The transmission of the video signal through the row scan control winding 65 rather than the column scan control winding 52 is possible and may be more or less of an advantage depending upon the type of transuxor and the type of material used in the transuxors.

A mural image reproducer using twotmnsfluxor control units Figure 4 shows a transhysteretic-device-controlled mural image reproducer system for television, which utilizes a two transfluxor unit of the type shown in Figure 3A, with each light element. This system provides a mural image reproducer 75 according to the present invention for displaying monochrome pictures with halftones. Each element 73 of the mural image reproducer 7S is a switching element consisting of two transfluxors, as shown in Fig. 3A, which controls the light output from a light element at the element. As has been previously mentioned in the specication, these cells are in an array. Typically the array may have 525 horizontal lines and 700 vertical lines, for convenience, only a few of the rows and columns are illustrated in Figure 4. The operation of the circuit shown in Fig. 4 is as follows: a shift signal generator 77, synchronized with the incoming video produces a train of pulses. The frequency of these pulses is at picture element frequency with the period of each pulse constituting the horizontal scan time divided by the number of vertical lines. The train of pulses produced by the shift signal generator 77 activates a column counter 79 which is a coventional binary counter with an appropriate reset to count in cycles of 700 since this number is a non-integral power of 2. The stages of the column counter 79 activate, through the ampliers 81, the input lines of a column selector circuit 7. This embodiment of the column selector circuit 7 is described in detail in the copending application by the present inventor and bearing the title Magnetic Switching Device and the U.S. Serial No. 339,861. Each of the binary inputs are in pairs; each side linking half of cores 87 with the other side of the other half. The linking sides, usually a single turn are all in series and are represented in Figure 4 by the 45 dashes over the cores.

The cores 87 each consist of a toroidal core made of low coercive force magnetic material having suitable magnetic characteristics, i.e., a rectangular hysteresis loop. The cores may mave any desired shape but the toroidal shape is preferred. For the purpose of simplification of the drawing shown in Figure 4, the cores are represented as elongated rectangles. A number of selecting coils C1 through C8 are coupled to the cores 87 in a desired coded fashion. Each selecting coil consists of a number of windings which are wound on the cores and which are connected in series in a manner previously described.

The selected coils are arranged in pairs and the code of the coupling is a binary one. The first pair of selecting coils C1 and C2 are coupled to alternative halveswof the core's';v a second pair of selecting coils C3 and C4 are coupled to alternate quarters of the cores; the third pair ofthe selecting pair of the selecting coils C5 and C6 are coupled to alternate eighths of the cores and so on.

Each selecting coil is driven by a vacuum tube associated therewith with the coil serving as the load for the tube. The tubes are actually examples of a switch which can be utilized to turn the current in the selecting coil on and olf.

Current is sent through each selecting coil in such a direction as to tend to saturate the core in the direction of its initially set normal remanence, for example, N where N and P represent two possible states of remanence; that is, normal and abnormal states. It is obvious that one and only one core has non-inhibited currents for any combination of the inputs at any one time. As the input signals provided to the selecting coils change according to the binary counter, the identity of the non-inhibited core moves from core to core linearly across the set of cores. If all the cores are excited, either with a pulse at each counter with this pulse in such a direction as to magnetize the cores toward a state termed P. then the one non-inhibited core will actually change direction of saturation and produce a voltage in the output winding. It is seen, therefore, that the vertical lines of the array` are excited with pulses of voltage oneafter-another in rapid succession thereby producing horizontal scanning.

In like fashion, an array of cores 91 are associated with row counter 93 which drives the selecting coils of the row selector circuit 6 through the array of tubes 95. These cores control the row selector circuit 6 and function in a manner described in connection with the core array 87. The row selector circuit 6, however, includes the winding 97 to which is applied the video signal. The winding 97 is coupled to all cores by serially connected windings in a sense tending to magnetize the cores to- Ward state P. The windings of all the selecting coils have the same sense, providing magnetomotive forces in an N-going direction. Thus, in this embodiment of the invention, the instantaneous strength of the video signal will control the saturation or desaturation of the selected non-inhibited core and therefore provides instantaneous control to the energy applied to successive rows by the row selector circuit 6.

At the end of the horizontal scan the column counter 79 produces a pulse which advances by one count, the row counter 93. Thus the identity of the non-inhibited core is not only moved successively along the columns but the identity of another non-inhibited core is also transferred down from row to row to complete the entire scanning action of the image raster.

The row selector circuit 6 can also be of a type slightly different from the column selector circuit 7. For eX- ample, at each position of the switch there may be utilized a pair of cores which have the more usual Z type hysteresis curve rather than a rectangular one. Here again all pairs of inputs are energized as before and so all pairs of cores are biased oif by the selecting input circuits except one and that one progresses along the row with the binary counts. The non-inhibited pair of cores are not saturated and are essentially at the origin of the B-H plane and consequently have relatively high permeability. The video signal is applied to all cores of the switch but appears only in the output of the one pair which is not inhibited, that is, saturated. The purpose of a set of cores rather than a single one at each position is to minimize the switching transient due to turning the pair on or turning the pair off.

The discussion in connection with the circuit shown in Figure 4 has shown how transuxors may be keyed with row and column scanning information in addition to instantaneous video signal information to be set so as to provide continuous light output proportional to the video information from each of the elemental areas to 11 Y accomplish the reconstruction of au image r pattern. One transiluxor unit, 73, of' the tWo-transfluxor type shown in Figure 3A, is located at each elemental area of the mural image reproducer 75 in Figure 4. This transfluxor unit 73 provides control of the energy reaching the light element 63 responsive to the row, column and elemental area image information; the energyl for driving the light element 63 is provided through the A.C. winding 59.

The row 4and column'selector circuits 6 and 7 shown in 'Figure 4 have demonstrated one method oftransrnitting the correct video information to the corresponding elemental area of the mural television screen, in conjunc-A tion with the transiiuior which, in turn, controls the light output from each area.

A magnetic shift register for use with mural image reproducers Another form of row and column selector circuit empioys a magnetic shift register of the type described by Rajchman, Briggs, and Lo in their copending applications bearing the US. Serial No. 511,916', now Patent Nos. 2,803,812, issued Aug. 20, 1957 and 512,056, now abandoned. The magnetic shift register for switching both row and column information, utilizing the circuits to be described in detail, provides a switching circuits of unusual reliability and positive action. Consider first the operation of the magnetic shift register shown in Figure 5. This magnetic shift register shown in Figure 5 provides the function of switching each transuxor along a row.

A discussion of the switching process associated with a single row of a mural television magnetic switching system will serveV as an introduction to the switching process oi the entire mural image reproducer shown in Figure 9 where each of the rows will, in turn, be controlled by a row magnetic shift register. In this mural image reproducer, only one transfluxor at each element, is utilized.

The magnetic shift register shown in Figure 5 is utilized to key on each column of transuxors; this magnetic shift register will be utilized to select each column of transuxors in succession by providing a current pulse of fixed amplitude through the selected column bringing the element transuxor to a threshold above which it is capable of accepting the video information.l The magnetic shift register shown in Figure 5 Vincludes a series of ymagnetic cores 151, 152, 153 and 154 each of-*which is at remanence either a normal state (N state) and in an abnormal state. (P state). The bus 157 passes respectively through cores 151 and 153 and is coupled to ground by way of the resistor 159. The bus 161 passes through, respectively, the cores 152 and 154 and is coupled to ground by way of` resistor 163.

Consider the operation of core 152 at the time when all other cores 151, 153 and 154 are in the normal state and core 152 is in an abnormal state. Let the current pulse 165 be sent through the bus 161. This current passes through core 152 which is thereupon switched from the abnormal state to the normal state. A current: 11 is thereupon produced in the winding 167 which is coupled to core 152; thisl current l1 is caused to ow through the diode 169 and to pass through the coupling loop 171 in a manner whereby core 153 is switched from normal to' abnormal state.

The switching of core 152 also produces a Voltage in the winding 173. No current results from this voltage because of the blocking diode 175 so that the preceding core 151 is not aifected. This blocking action of diode 175 is due to the bias on bus 161 due to the voltage developed across resistance 1,63, by the current pulse 165.

The switching of core 153 from normal state to ab normal state in a manner previously mentioned produces a voltage in the winding 177. This voltage does not produce any current in the winding 1177 because of diode 179 so that it does 'not dampen the switching of core 152.

Ity thereupon follows that the application of the cur rent pulse at a time when all cores but core 152 are in normal state, produces the action of switching the core 152 to the normal state and core 153 to the abnormal state. lf a current pulse 181 is applied a short time after current pulse 165, and is caused to pass through the core 153 by way of the bus 157, core 153 will then be switched from abnormal state back to normal state with this switching action causing core 154 to be switched from normal to abnormal state. With the application of current pulses 181 and 165 sent alternately through the -two buses 157 and 161, the cores are successively switched from normal to abnormal state and back to normal ac cording to the switching action described in the following table wherein core 151 is referred to as core I, core 152 is referred to as core Il, Vand so on:

Time Core Core Core Core Coro Core I II HI V V VI P N N N N N N P N N N N N N P N N N N N N P N N N N N N P N N N N N N P At T1, core 151 is switched on to start the sequence; at T2 the current pulse 165 is produced; at T3 the current pulse 151 is produced, and so on. The table shows the switching of each core from normal to abnormal state and then back to normal state. The switching action progresses from core to core in the magnetic shift register at a rate and sequence prescribed by the timing of the current pulses 165 and 181.

Consider again the action of core 152; this time with respect to its controlling the transuxor 155. When the. current I1 is produced in the winding 167 causing core 153 to switch from normal to abnormal state, the cur` rent Il passes through the transiluxor hole 187 of the transfluxor with a magnitude necessary to bring that transfluxor to its threshold of setting.

The threshold of setting of the transuxor 135 can be explained by considering the diagram shown in Figure 6. This diagram relates the llux 1) set in the inner leg of the transuxor as a function of the current pulse I through the large hole 187. Figure 6 represents the modulation characteristic of the transiluxor. The current from the core 152 obtained in the manner previously drt-- scribed, is chosen to have an amplitude equal to the` threshold I1 of the characteristic and is not of suicien-.t amplitude to cause any setting of the transfluxor. Video information is then provided in the form of additional current pulses in the range from I1 to Ip through the hole 187 to an extent depending upon the video information relating to that cell. Thus the video current pulse sets the flux @proportionally to its amplitude.

Figure 5 shows each ofthe element transiluxors coupled to an electroluminescent cell 191. During the scanning of a row as represented in the circuit shown in Figure 7, the magnetic shift register is utilized to select each element transuxor along the row in sequence ata rate corresponding to the row scanning rate.

The energizing and switching of the element trans.- fluxors shown in Figure 5 may be accomplished in response to the pulse sequence illustrated in Figure 7; d1is is only one of the many possible pulse sequences. At 

